The Payne Family Native American Center is the first off-reservation building in the state of Montana designed to symbolically represent Native American culture and Montana’s 12 federally recognized tribes. The Center was also the first LEED building constructed on the UM campus.

A key aspect of Native American philosophy shared by all tribes is a deep respect and integration with the natural world. To reflect this, the program defined site strategies, building materials, and systems and construction processes to reduce environmental impacts and create a building highly responsive to the Montana climate, using historic Native American architectural influences. Tribal members gathered to determine the preservation of existing trees, the building location, the size of the circular gathering space, and key cultural elements for the building. Additional program requirements include: a boldly Native American building; daylighting, use of local natural materials; recognition of all 12 Montana tribes; a building that provides education about contemporary Native American people; the green aspects of the building itself; the highest LEED certification possible that could be accomplished within budget; and a solution where Native people are not “put on display,” but where all people can learn from Native America.

Green features of this building include:

• Overall building energy consumption is 42% better than standard buildings
• 94% of occupied spaces have views to outside
• Energy-efficient lights and occupancy sensors save energy
• 12 logs removed from the Milltown Dam site were reclaimed and used as pillars in the inner rotunda (Bonnie Heavy Runner Gathering Space)
• Native Plants and shrubs used in landscaping
• Passive solar heat reduces heating needs in the winter